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Third Accuser in Pastor Sex Case; GOP Rolls out Pledge to America; New Health Care Reforms Begin; New Provisions of Health Care Reform Kick In Today; Man Visits Empty Grave for Over Four Years

Aired September 23, 2010 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. Thanks so much. Good morning, everyone.

Lots of big news happening over the next couple of hours. From the president's speech to the U.N. to the Republicans' pledge to undo his first two years in office. In '94 they had a Contract with America. In an hour, they'll roll out a "Pledge to America".

A man visits his wife's grave for nearly five years then learns it's been empty the whole time. Another victim of Arlington National Cemetery.

And the International Space Station makes contact to the outer reaches of Pittsburgh, Texas. And let me tell you what. There is one ham radio guy that's pretty excited.

I'm Kyra Phillips. And you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Mega church pastor Eddie Long has 25,000 church members but today all the attention is on just a few of his former followers. A third man has now come forward accusing Bishop Long of coercing him into sexual relationships.

All three men say that they were teenagers when Long began lavishing them with gifts and initiating sexual encounters. Just after the third lawsuit was filed, Long canceled a scheduled radio interview and a news conference.

A spokesman for Bishop Long denies the accusations and says that the lawsuits are, quote, "a shakedown for money".

Bishop Eddie Long issued a statement just a bit earlier this morning. And for that and other developments, we turn once again to our Ed Lavandera who's -- first broke this story -- Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a quick-moving morning. We had anticipated to be able hear from Bishop Eddie Long on "The Tom Joyner" radio show this morning. That's why we went to bed being told by his spokesperson.

That radio appearance was canceled. But the attorney for Bishop Long, a man by the name of Craig Gillen, wrote a statement for me. He talked about that he -- denying these allegations again, strongly. That he devoted his life to helping young men. And these allegations say, he hurt me deeply

But what was interesting and we have some of the sound from that radio interview this morning is the tone that the attorney took and what he said about these allegations. Let's take a listen to it to kind of give you a sense of where the defense is going in this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIG GILLEN, ATTORNEY FOR BISHOP EDDIE LONG: These false allegations are an attack on Bishop Long personally. They are an attack on New Birth, the entire church and all of its 25,000 good people who attend that church. And it's an attack on the mentoring program that's helped thousands of young men.

It is deeply, deeply unfortunate that these allegations have been made. They will be met.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And that was an interview that was done with our colleague, CNN's Roland Martin. And it was interesting, the word attack came up several times in the course of Roland's questioning with him so there was definitely that sense of kind of rallying the troops behind Bishop Long.

And initially we were told that the statement that he was going to make on camera today, that there were going to be supporters standing behind him so right now he is not talking publicly. Although his attorney did say that he will speak from the pulpit on Sunday morning.

PHILLIPS: And here's what's interesting. And you tell me what you think because you've been talking with all the various sources but the attorney that's representing these young men that have come forward says there's e-mails, there's text messages, there's pictures.

Some of the other networks have released pictures of Eddie Long taking pictures of himself allegedly sent to other young men in this ministry in tight shirts and all muscled out.

You know, do you get a sense that this is just the beginning? That we are going to see more, hear more, possibly see new bits of evidence supporting these claims.

LAVANDERA: It will be interesting to see how that plays out. We've been told initially when we started first hearing about the story a while back that there were four young men that would come forward.

So far we've only seen publicly filed three cases. So perhaps that is more the attorney has told us on the record that there -- she believes that there are many more who will come out and speak like this.

But we can only speak to the ones that have been filed and what we see concretely here in this paperwork but that is the concern at this point.

PHILLIPS: OK. We'll keep following it. Ed, sure appreciate it. And we're now 40 days from the midterm elections. About an hour from now, Republicans hope to close the sale. They roll out their Pledge to America basically saying this is what we'll do and undo if you put us in power.

CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash is actually in Sterling, Virginia.

So, Dana, are we talking about Contract with America 2.0 here?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In many ways, yes, Kyra, because this -- the whole theme as you said among House Republicans is to try to convince voters just six weeks before the election that they do have some plans to actually run the government.

However, just look at where I am and the images of people -- remember back in 1994, how different it is. The last thing in the world that Republicans wanted to do would be to stand on the steps of the Capitol as they did back then because that represents everything that some of the people that they're really trying to get can't stand.

That's why we're here at a small business. That's the emphasis today. But, you know, the whole question of whether or not anything is different in here, we see a lot of what we have heard.

The fact that they want to trim spending, the fact that they want to make tax cuts permanent, the fact that they want to repeal the president's health care plan, but there are some -- there are some small pieces in here that I think are interesting and I should show our viewers because they are clearly bones, if you will, to Tea Party voters that are trying to placate.

First of all, they are pledging weekly votes on spending cuts. Also they are pledging to cut Congress's budget and a net hiring freeze of non-security federal employees. And a vote on every regulation costing more than $100 million.

So that appeals to the idea that people are fed up with Washington spending. But also, if there's some things in here about Congress that people are fed up with the fact that they have to balance their budgets, they have to do the hard things and Congress and Washington isn't doing it. So that's what you see in here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And Dana, let's talk about where the Tea Party falls into all of this.

BASH: Well, the Tea Party I think it's very interesting that they put some very clear things in here to try to appeal to Tea Party candidates and more specifically Tea Party voters. But what is interesting and noteworthy about this Pledge to America is that they are not asking -- the Republican leadership, they are not asking anybody to actually sign on to it.

You will see rank-and-file members in here. The idea that House Republicans have are to try to show some faces besides the House -- the House Minority Leader John Boehner and others that maybe people don't usually see but some of the Tea Party candidates out there, we don't -- unless we go talk to them we don't know if they're going to actually sign on to this because they're not specifically being asked to.

Very, very interesting that this is an attempt certainly to tell voters that they are for something, but you talk to even the authors -- I was talking to some of them behind this building just a short while ago. Even the authors say that this is not the most important thing for them this election year.

They still think their best weapon against the Democrats is the Democrats themselves and making the argument to the voter that the Democrats just simply have the wrong policies and that this is just one little piece of their election year argument.

PHILLIPS: All right. Dana Bash from Sterling, thanks so much.

And President Obama is getting ready to address the U.N. General Assembly. That speech should get underway in just less than an hour.

The president is expected to warn of more bloodshed in the Middle East. In an excerpt from his speech he says that Israelis and Palestinians must reach a peace deal and that other countries must help the process along.

We're going to carry that speech live 10:00 a.m. Eastern hour.

So what will he say and how outrageous will his comments be? When he spokes Tuesday the translation actually stops. So we're waiting to see how interesting Iran's president will be when he speaks to the General Assembly later this afternoon.

Protesters are still outside. Condemning Iran's treatment of women and gays as well as Ahmadinejad's past comments on Israel. The holocaust and 9/11. They even called out the Hilton Hotel for letting Iran's leader and his crew stay there. Many other hotels in New York City won't even let them in the door.

And a warning this morning for parents and child care providers. The makers of Similac are recalling five million cans of baby formula and some provisions of health care reform going to effect today.

Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta will join me to explain what it means to you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Parents, listen up. The maker of Similac has recalled about five million cans of some powdered baby formula after the company found a beetle in the product.

Abbott Laboratories has stopped production and shipment of this formula and it's fumigating the plant where workers found that bug.

The recall includes certain Similar powder products offered in plastic containers and certain Similac powdered products offered in 8 ounce, 12.4 ounce and 12.9 ounce cans. The recall doesn't include liquid formulas made by Abbott. And for more information just go to www.similac.com/recall or you can call this number, 1-800-986-8850.

An owner of one egg farm took the Fifth. The owner of the other offered his apology. The lawmakers looking into this summer's salmonella outbreak are not forgiving. Especially after the House panel presented new photos of filthy conditions at Iowa's Wright County Egg Farm.

See those pictures? That was a pile of manure that was so big it actually pushed through the door. Dead chickens were shown in a hen house, even a mouse on the egg conveyor belt right there.

The salmonella outbreak trigged the recall of a half a billion eggs and sickened 1600 people. One of those victims told Congress that she actually wound up in intensive care after eating a custard tart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH LEWIS, SICKENED BY TAINTED EGGS: We were all there celebrating this amazing achievement for my sister, not even suspecting that that night would change our lives for a very long time.

My sister and I look back at that night and say what if our my grandma or one of my daughters would have eaten that tart that we were to receive? They probably would have died.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, (INAUDIBLE) of Hillandale Farms refused to answer questions at that hearing. Jack DeCoster from the Wright County Egg Farm said that said that he's been praying for those who got sick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK DECOSTER, OWNER, WRIGHT COUNTY EGG FARMS: We were horrified to learn that our eggs may have made people sick. We apologize to everyone who may have been sickened by eating our eggs.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: For years, state regulators in the northeast and the Midwest have cited DeCoster's chicken and hog farms for poor conditions.

New provisions of the Health Care Reform Act kick in today affecting your coverage and your children's coverage.

CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining us from New York to talk about these changes.

So, Sanjay, I know some pieces of legislation have already started but what happens today? It's -- is it -- it's much more sweeping reform, right? SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think so. I think that's one way of looking at it. Obviously, a lot of people focused on the specific provisions for some time now, but waiting for them to go into effect.

One thing worth pointing out, Kyra, because numbers -- a lot of people paying attention to the numbers. Premiums for what it costs the average person to buy health care insurance have gone up over the last year. For an individual, it's gone up about five percent, about $5,000 a year now. And for families of four, that's gone up about three percent, so it's around $13,000 or so. So the premiums of insurance have actually gone up a little bit, which a lot of people are paying attention to that.

But when you talk about the provisions specifically that go into effect, a lot of people have been waiting for this for some time. Go through them specifically. For example, under the new health plans, you can use an emergency room anywhere that you are, so if you happen to be traveling, Kyra, in New York or Atlanta, you can use an ER without having to pay more out of your home city. That's one thing.

Also, preventive services. Something that people talk about a lot. Mammography, colonoscopy, things that prevent disease, those services will no longer have any charge, including co-pays underneath the new health plan.

And something that they talked about a lot was this idea of the young invincibles, Kyra. People in their mid-20s, "I'm too healthy. I don't need to buy health care insurance." One of the things that they can stay under their parents' health care plans now up until the age of 26, so they're extending the time frames to make sure these people continue to have health care insurance a little bit longer.

There's lots of different provisions, Kyra, but those are some of the big ones. Also, no discrimination against children based on preexisting conditions. So, a sick child will be able to get health care insurance regardless of what their illness has been in the past, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Are the insurance companies abiding by the provisions, or is it just too early to tell?

GUPTA: I think it's early to tell. The things I was just listing, obviously, with regard to the consumers. But if you really look at this health care bill closely, a lot of this is more insurance regulation than it is health care reform, frankly.

You talk about some of the specific things, someone gets sick. They have, you know, a lifetime worth of medical expenses, let's say. In the past, insurance companies could say there is a cap on how much we'll pay over the lifetime. So, it gets to a few hundred thousand dollars, and your insurance kicks out. Those caps will be limited. You can't cap one's lifetime benefits anymore underneath this new health care plan.

Also, you can't cancel a policy for some sort of preexisting condition. Unless there is fraud, a policy cannot be canceled. Again, that's the way it's supposed to work under this plan. You can't deny a claim without some sort of appeal. So, let's say your claim has been denied. You can always appeal that now under this new health care plan.

And again, this idea of children not being able to be discriminated against. Insurance companies say -- I'll give you an example. In the past, they would have children-only plans. But now they worry that a family will say, "I'm not going to buy insurance until my kid gets sick. Then I'll buy it. Because you can't discriminate based on a pre-existing illness. So I'll just buy it when they need it."

So a lot of insurance companies say, "You know what? We're not doing children-only plans anymore. It has to be for the whole family," and that sort of prevents people from gaming the system. So you're going to see things like that, Kyra, in terms of what the insurance companies are doing.

PHILLIPS: Got it. Sanjay, thanks.

Heavy rains triggered flooding in the streets and walkways in parts of Tucson, Arizona. Rob Marciano's been watching for that for us, in addition to the entire nation, actually, and the weather that's kicking in.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, this is from Tropical Storm Georgette, was out in the eastern Pacific, which we didn't talk too much about. It's hit the Baja of California. But all that moisture training up into the desert Southwest and, you know, you don't need a whole lot. They didn't see much more than a half an inch or an inch in some spots, a little higher amounts near Mount Lemmon. But that particular part of world, you get a half an inch in a short period of time, boom, this is what you get.

Most of that rain, now, has moved out into New Mexico, parts of the plains now, and it's training up into the upper Midwest. This is an area that really has seen a large amount of moisture, not just the past couple of days, but the -- this summer. We have flash flood watches and warnings that are posted here for the remainder of today. Could see another two to three or four inches of rain on top of what they've already seen.

Amboy, Minnesota, 9 inches of rainfall. Minnesota Lake, 8 -- almost 8.5. Mapleton, Minnesota seeing 6 inches, so -- you get the idea. They are saturated right now, and there's more rain pouring into this area. This is the forecast computer models that we think we might see anywhere from four to six. And this little sliver, here, in northern Wisconsin might see another half a foot of rainfall.

The other big story, of course, is the heat. First full day of fall. Doesn't feel like it. Yesterday, Louisville, 99 degrees. Pinson, Alabama, 97. Memphis, Tennessee, seeing -- also in the mid- 90s, and I think we'll see similar numbers today with this sort of searing heat, 92 expected in St. Louis, it'll be 92 degrees in Atlanta and 91 degrees in Washington, DC. As far as what's going on tropically, we've got Tropical Storm Lisa. This thing's just a mess out there. Actually, it was a tropical depression at one point. It's not going to do much for us. But this is what we're more concerned about here in the Caribbean. This has got a good chance of becoming a tropical depression or our next tropical storm here in the next couple of days.

They're going to fly an aircraft in there, I think, today. They canceled it yesterday, but, yes, you can see even the -- even our weather amateurs out there see that that -- all that red bubbling up within the red box, that's never a good sign. So, this thing could track toward the Gulf of Mexico, Kyra, as we get towards next week. So that's why we're watching it very carefully.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Deaf boys raped or sexually abused by their priest and headmaster of their school. Now, as adults, they're coming forward and seeking justice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY KOHUT, ABUSE VICTIM (through translator): I went into his office. The door was closed. And Father Murphy, said "Take your pants down."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: We're going to have an exclusive interview with one of those victims, who's now suing the Vatican.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The Vatican is talking more about those money laundering allegations yesterday that we told you about. The Italian authorities have seized $30 million from the Vatican bank now. Apparently, it didn't provide enough information about a couple of big wire transfers, and the red flags just went up. Today, the church calls it a misunderstanding between banks and that this will be easy to straighten out.

At a small school for the deaf in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as many as 200 deaf boys were raped or sexually abused by the priest and headmaster. It was one of the most notorious cases of sex abuse in the Catholic Church.

Today, a CNN exclusive, the first interview with one of those victims, who's now suing Pope Benedict. It's part of a special CNN documentary examining what Pope Benedict did or didn't do about this crisis. Our Gary Tuchman has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a lakeside retreat in northern Wisconsin.

KOHUT: Come.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Terry Kohut tries to escape his past. It isn't easy. Fifty years ago, when he was just 10 years old, Terry, who is deaf, was sent to the St. Johns School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. What happened there to Terry and up to 200 other deaf boys is now central to the sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. And to the question of what Pope Benedict, then Cardinal Ratzinger, knew about it all.

Terry Kohut has never spoken publicly about the horrors he endured at St. Johns. Until now.

TUCHMAN (on camera): What did he do to you?

KOHUT (through translator): And then it was that afternoon, I went into his office. The door was closed. And Father Murphy said, "Take your pants down."

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Father Lawrence Murphy was the headmaster and priest at St. John's for more than two decades. He was a charismatic fund-raiser and respected church leader. But Father Murphy has also been identified by dozens of deaf men who say he raped and sexually abused them as children for years.

Father Murphy's abuse would come to the direct attention of Cardinal Ratzinger, but his handling of the case would stun Murphy's victims.

DAVID GIBSON, POLITICSDAILY.COM: I think what the Murphy case shows is the deference that Cardinal Ratzinger and Pope Benedict would always give to the priest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What actually happens in court --

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Today, Terry Kohut is suing the Vatican for what Father Murphy did to him at St. John's. His lawsuit is the first to ever specifically name Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict. Until now, Terry Kohut has been anonymous, named only as John Doe 16.

KOHUT (through translator): Yes, I was confused as to why it was happening. I mean, he was a priest. You know, I was trying to figure out what -- I mean, I can't believe a priest would do that.

THUCHMAN (voice-over): The priest is believed to have picked out victims who were especially vulnerable, or had been through tragedy already in their young lives. Terry Kohut fit that pattern.

KOHUT (through translator): My brother was electrocuted. Died when I was 10. And when I was 11, my Father hung himself. And at 12 my favorite dog died, and it tore me up. I saw Father Murphy, and I thought that he could be a second father.

TUCHMAN (on camera): Tell me why, Terry, you've decided to file suit. What do you want to see happen? KOHUT (through translator): I want the see the Vatican -- because I've been waiting for all these years for them to excommunicate, defrock Father Murphy, but they haven't.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And to find out what Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, knew and did about Father Murphy, tune into a special CNN documentary this -- or next weekend, rather. "What the Pope Knew." It's a special CNN documentary, Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 PM Eastern.

You spent nine months in the womb, and some scientists believe that you spend the rest of your life living out the destiny that was shaped there. Your intelligence, your future, your health, even your personality. We're going to take a closer look in today's AM Extra.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, every Thursday, Wall Street gets new labor numbers to look over. And the past two weeks, we saw signs of improvement. But you know the saying. Two steps forward, one step back. That's exactly and unfortunately what we're seeing today. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange with a preview of the trading day. Hey, Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Yes, we kind of made that U-turn here. Weekly jobless claims, they rose by 12,000 last week, coming in at 465,000. And that's just the first-time filers from last week and it's a very high number to say the least and that's why we're looking at a lower open on Wall Street today.

All right. Here's an announcement we have been expecting for quite a while. Blockbuster Video filed for bankruptcy. The video rental company is drowning under almost $1 billion of debt and it's struggling against competitors like Netflix and Red Box. Blockbuster does plan to keep its stores and DVD kiosks open during bankruptcy so you can still check out those movies.

All right. Checking on the early numbers. The Dow Industrials down about 56. The Nasdaq is off by 16.

And finally, Kyra, you're planning to fly this holiday season? Well, you better get your flight booked real soon. An airline trade group says the average price to fly one mile, it surged by 14 percent last month. And the CEO of farecompare.com is telling us it's only going to get worse as we head into the holidays. We also got another estimate from "USA TODAY," the average domestic airfare for Thanksgiving flights is sitting at about 400 bucks. That's up 10 percent from last year. The experts, Kyra, are telling us, book early, be flexible in your travel days and you may be able to save a couple bucks - Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes. Easier said than done. Thanks, Alison.

KOSIK: I know. Sure. PHILLIPS: Redefining the formulative (ph) early years. Some scientists are saying and believe that the things that make you so unique like your intelligence, your health, even your personality may actually all be shaped in the womb. It's a fascinating theory that may have you looking in the mirror just a little bit differently.

"AMERICAN MORNING'S" John Roberts actually spoke to a woman who has studied this topic and joins us for today's AM Extra.

So, what did you think? Did you learn anything that you didn't know?

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING": Absolutely. I mean, that's the great thing about being in this business, is every day you go home a little smarter than you came into work.

PHILLIPS: The free education.

ROBERTS: We talked with Anne Murphy Paul - there you go and I like that.

We talked with Annie Murphy Paul who writes the cover story of this week's "Time" magazine. It's about something called fetal origins. It's this idea that the first nine months of life, while you're developing in the womb, are potentially the most important of your entire life in terms of the type of person who you turn out to be.

For example, if you have a low birth weight baby, there's a chance, a greater chance that that baby will eventually develop heart disease than a baby that is normal birth weight. Conversely, if the mother gains a lot of weight, there's a chance that the child will become obese later on in life. And according to Annie Murphy Paul, who did a lot of research on this, going back years because she's got a new book on it coming out next Tuesday, there are foods that a mother can eat. This goes beyond regularly eating healthy foods or taking your folic acid. Foods that a mother can eat that actually may confer some sort of immunity against dread diseases like cancer to the newborn baby.

Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNIE MURPHY-PAUL, CONTRIBUTOR, "TIME" MAGAZINE: There is a really striking study in which pregnant mice were given a chemical that was derived from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts and their offspring were able to resist cancer for the rest of their lives even when exposed to a cancer-causing chemical and they only encountered this protective chemical in the womb but lasted for their entire life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: OK. We've heard about how certain foods have nutrients and all of that, that's really good for the baby. But we've also heard a lot about stress, as well. The mother's personality and how she is on the daily basis.

Do we really know how much of an impact that has on the fetus?

ROBERTS: We don't know for sure but there's a growing body of evidence that a mother's state of mind and the conditions that she is living in have a very profound effect on the development of the baby.

For example, a study was done in China, during what was called the "Great Leap Forward," which was really a great deep backward. There was a really terrible famine. Babies who were born to mothers who did not have adequate nutrition during that time has twice, twice the incidence of developing schizophrenia later on in life.

So you're thinking, OK, that means stress is bad. Not in all cases. A small amount of stress, just a little bit of stress, not a whole lot, in China you're talking about a crushing amount of stress. A little bit of stress is actually good for mental development and can increase the intelligence of your newborn child.

So, Kyra, you know, we already know the admonitions to not smoke, not drink, take folic acid, make sure that you eat properly. But on top of all of that, there's all this new body of evidence about fetal development, what that might mean later in life. Nothing to worry about, but something to look forward to as potential promise for having the best child you possibly can.

PHILLIPS: I still can't get past the Brussels sprouts. Broccoli, OK. Working on the stress. But I don't know about the Brussels sprouts.

ROBERTS: Should you ever find yourself in that way, better learn to like Brussels sprouts.

PHILLIPS: Yes. All right. That's great information.

Thanks, John.

For months we have hammered Arlington National Cemetery for bungling graves, possibly 6,600 of them. Coming up, we're going to have one of those stories, once again, and show you what these mistakes to do the families involved. We're talking to a man that's been visiting an empty grave for almost five years.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, you speed, get caught, pay a fine, then get your money back. You got to love that system. That's what's happening in Garfield Heights, Ohio. The city reimbursing nearly 1,000 drivers who were going exactly 10 miles over the speed limit and ticketed $100 by speeding cameras. Seems there was some kind of mix-up. Under the law, drivers shouldn't be fined until they go 11 miles an hour over the limit. The mistake is costing the city a total of $100,000.

Top stories now. This morning we're expecting President Obama to take center stage at the United Nations General Assembly. His focus, Mideast peace. The president will remind critics and skeptics that the alternative to peace in the Middle East will be more blood and violence. Parents beware. The makers of Similac are recalling about 5 million cans of some baby formula. Workers at one plant found a beetle in the product.

Mega church Pastor Eddie Long keeping a low profile after a third sex abuse allegation. Long canceled a news conference and interview for today but his spokesman says he denies all the allegations.

Eyeing Hillary Clinton's old Senate seat, Republicans making inroads and that's what we're talking about in our political ticker.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: OK. Let's see when's crossing the political ticker.

CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser in Washington.

What's crossing, Paul?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Kyra, you're going to get this first because I'm still writing the story. It's not up on the CNN Political Ticker yet. You get it first. What am I talking about? Hillary Clinton's old Senate seat. Remember, before she was Secretary of State, she was the senator from New York State. That seat now is held by Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, as well. And she is running for the -- to fill the last two years of Clinton's term.

A brand new poll out this morning from Quinnipiac University of likely voters in New York State indicates that that race is getting pretty tight. Clinton (sic) holds a six point advantage over the Republican challenger, a guy called Joseph DioGuardi, a former Congressman. You know what? He's also the father of Kara DioGuardi, who, if you watch "American Idol," remember she was a judge on that show for a couple of years.

Let's talk about another Senate race where the Democrats are trying to hold on. That is in Wisconsin. Check these numbers out. A brand new CNN/"Time" Magazine Opinion Research Corporation poll of likely voters in Wisconsin, where Russ Feingold is running for re-election. He's the Democrat up there. But, you know what? A guy called Ron Johnson, who is backed by a lot of people in the Tea Party movement, it's a pretty close race there. But, look, Johnson's on top. Our poll indicates he has a six-point advantage. That is right around where the sampling error is in that contest. We're going to keep a close eye on Wisconsin, New York, and all these other Senate seats.

One other thing. Brand new this morning. Come on in here. Take a look at this right here. David Jenkins (ph), our cameraman. I just put this up on the CNN Political Ticker a few minutes ago. I confirmed this morning that Joe Biden, the Vice President, took a few minutes out of the schedule this morning to attend a fundraiser in suburban Washington D.C., for Barbara Mikulski, another Senate Democrat who's up for reelection. But, she's got a pretty easy race. But, I tell you, when you're the president or vice president, helping out Democrats, it's just part of the schedule. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Paul. Thanks.

We're going to have your next political update in just about an hour. And a reminder, for all our latest political news, you can just go to CNN.com/politics.

The International Space Station makes contact all the way to the outer reaches of Pittsburgh, Texas, and one ham radio guy. You're going to hear about his space talk, coming up.

But first, flashback. September 23rd, 1930. Music legend Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia. The pianist, singer, composure, and band leader is credited with helping create that sound that we all know as soul music. Charles began playing piano at the age of 5. He lost his sight by the age of 7. His rendition, "Georgia on my Mind," is now the official state song of Georgia. He died June 10, 2004, but his music lives on.

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PHILLIPS: It's tough being a hero. We've told you how many Army suicide raids and PTSD cases are on the rise and more veterans are dealing with drug abuse, homelessness and unemployment and on top of that the VA has failed so many veterans exposing thousands of them to potentially fatal diseases because of sloppy hospital practices.

And after all that, we have yet another story that we're not going to let go. Arlington National Cemetery, to be buried there is the final and lasting honor. It's the most sacred resting place for our fallen. But we now know up to 6,600 graves may be marked wrong, tombstones have been dumped and scattered. Burial urns tossed into piles and burial records are a mess.

It's these heart-wrenching stories that tugged at the heart of Retired Air Force Colonel William Koch Jr.

He wondered if his wife, Jean Koch were buried in the right place. At first, the cemetery assured him that everything was in order but then called back to apologize and confirm his worst fears. He had been visiting the wrong grave for almost five years.

His wife was buried one plot to the right in a space marked by a headstone for an Army staff sergeant. His wife's plot, they said, was empty.

Retired Colonel William Koch Jr., joins me live from Raleigh, North Carolina. I'll tell you what Colonel. That must have been heart breaking when you got that call.

LT. COL. WILLIAM KOCH, JR., U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): Yes, it was. Since I had been -- I guess you'd say elated when they told me everything was ok. And then all of a sudden everything wasn't ok.

PHILLIPS: Yes, so tell me what you did and -- and how you pursued this and if you, you know, feel any better at the answer that you got.

KOCH: Well, I feel better about the answer I got but I'm still a little upset that some of the people that were involved in all of this have pretty much gotten away with what they did. And there's been what I see as no punishment and I think there should be because as you pointed out these are hallowed grounds where our -- our heroes are laid to rest for eternity.

The surprising part was the fact that I for four and a half years as you said I've been visiting an empty grave and sending flowers and wreaths, at Christmas time and other things to an empty grave. I even took Jean's mother out there so she could see her daughter's grave and it was not really her daughter's grave.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

So, when you -- when you saw the news coverage and you thought, I wonder if my wife is in the right spot. You made the call, and then they called to tell you it was in the wrong spot, did you go there to see the casket, to -- to make sure it was her remains? How did you confirm that indeed it was your wife, and do you know if she's in the right spot now, Colonel?

KOCH: I'm 99 percent sure, but not 100, because she was buried in a wooden casket, and when they dug up the grave site at -- that was next to her looking for a metal casket, that's when they found a wooden casket. And I was told by the funeral directors who I spoke to after this all transpired, the ones that handled her burial, that Arlington put little signs on the casket saying this is so and so and they should be buried in such and such a place. And so when I called Arlington and asked them about that, the answer was, well, we're doing it now, which means they weren't doing it in the past, which kind of bothers me a little bit, too.

PHILLIPS: Understandable. And your wife died of lung cancer, is that right?

KOCH: That is correct, yes, ma'am.

PHILLIPS: And -- and so, tell us about her, Colonel. What do you -- what do you miss the most?

KOCH: Well, my wife was a minister and a very religious person. As a matter of fact, she started an organization called the Jean Koch Evangelistic Association, to do good for people and I'm still running it and its still ongoing and kind of dedicated to her life. And I was married to her for 35 years. We traveled pretty much all over the world, and everything was going great until she got the lung cancer.

PHILLIPS: Wow, what a -- what a blessing that you are still keeping her spirit alive. That is -- that is so terrific and -- and so as -- as you move forward now, how are you going to -- to hold Arlington accountable? And -- and what -- do you want something more from Arlington Cemetery, do you want something more from the president, I mean, is there anything else that would give you and your other comrades more peace about what you've been dealing with? KOCH: I would -- I would like to see them be a little more open. Apparently it's like pulling teeth to get them to say, yes, we did this or -- or it's our problem. I would also like to see the president stand up for our veterans and say, hey, folks, Arlington is a hallowed place, and we need to make sure this doesn't happen again, that the problems will be solved, and we won't have to go through this -- I shouldn't say we -- I should say the dependents and the military people themselves won't have to go through this again.

PHILLIPS: And -- and to our viewers that may not understand why your wife is buried there. That's one of the blessings about serving in the military, that when you do have the honor of being buried in Arlington, your spouse gets to be buried with you, right?

KOCH: Yes, that's correct, in the same -- in the same grave site.

PHILLIPS: Right.

Well, I'll tell you what, that -- when is the next time you're going to go visit the grave site?

KOCH: Well, probably later this year. I'm -- I'm kind of waiting because right now it's kind of messy because they've dug it all up, and if -- if you look at pictures, it looks more like a lot of dirt rather than a nice grassy look that you normally see where the graves or where the headstones are.

PHILLIPS: And that's a hard thing to see. Well, you -- you follow up with us, Colonel Koch, please and let us know that everything is in a -- in a good and final place for you. We sure love to follow up.

KOCH: Ok, I will certainly do that.

PHILLIPS: Colonel thanks so much and we lift up your wife today too and think about her. Thanks for your time.

Now, we did reach out to Arlington National Cemetery to come on our show. And Katherine Condon, the executive director appointed in June to clean-up the mess did give us a statement. And I'd like to read part of it to you here.

She said "That the Army Inspector General investigation found that mistakes were made in the past and we are aggressively working each and every day to correct them. To the families who their loved ones that were buried there, we know that your faith in Arlington has been tested but you have my promise that we will correct these errors."

Well, there's a lot happening in the CNN NEWSROOM in the next hour. Let's go and check in with CNN senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Crucial provisions of health care reform go into effect today, Kyra. What they are and how they affect you at the top of the hour.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Stephanie Elam in New York. So what are all of those new health care provisions going to mean for your wallet? Are premiums and (INAUDIBLE) going to up? We'll tell you what the experts predict, coming in the next hour.

KOSIK: I'm Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange where we're watching the stocks retreat because of the latest jobs reports. The fresh number show the unemployment line has got to bit longer last week. Kyra, we'll look at what it means for the economy next hour.

PHILLIPS: All right, guys, thanks so much.

Also ahead, Selena Gomez the Disney's star plays a wizard on television but is hoping to lend her magic to a good cause. Remember Trick or Treat for UNICEF, the Halloween tradition is celebrating a milestone.

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